The IV/V chord is often used rather than just playing a straight V chord at the end of a piece, which also leads perfectly back to the final tonic chord, Ab, so this can be added just before the V to ensure a proper ending. To explain what we’ve done, after playing the V chords (Eb6 and Ebmaj9), we go to the IV chord (Dbadd9) and then walk down the scale through Cm7 and Bbm7. In the song we’re using, this translates to the chords: Dbadd9 – Cm7 – Bbm7 – Dbadd9/Eb – Ab, forming the following progression:Īb Bb7 Abmaj9 Dbmaj9 Bb Eb6 Ebmaj9 Dbadd9 Cm7 Bbm7 Dbadd9/Eb Ab Instead of playing the expected final chord, Ab, switch it for this cadence ending: IV – iii – ii – IV/V – I. Now we’re going to introduce our first example of a cadence. In 4/4, try playing these chords for two beats each to get a feel for the song’s original harmony: Here’s the piano chord progression to the ending of this hymn, with the vocalist’s accompaniment. I’ve picked out this hymn for a specific reason: the cadences that I’m going to demonstrate work best when the melody and harmony of the song ends on the tonic/root note, an aspect showcased particularly well in this hymn.

You might want to listen quickly to the track online before getting started, but we’ve transcribed everything you need to grasp the concept without the audio. We will use the hymn as an example throughout this tutorial. This intermediate to the advanced stage of piano playing is also when you should start learning what I call ‘temporary modulation,’ which is when you temporarily move away from the song’s original key by adding some cool and complex endings to your chord progressions, extending the range of your harmony and spicing up your sound. This chord technique works particularly well if you’re accompanying a great singer attentive to all those intricate changes in harmony and can follow your chords with their voice.

So once you’ve ascended into intermediate and advanced levels of piano playing, it’s time to really start using cadences to make the ending of a song sound majestic, whether it’s an original or a cover which you’re performing. Some cadences I’ll demonstrate will be a bit advanced for beginners, but stick around as the techniques and terminology will soon become relevant to you. In today’s tutorial, we’ll look at four chord progressions that can be used to end a song, known in music theory as cadences. FOUR CHORD PROGRESSIONS TO END YOUR SONGS IN STYLE – COOL CADENCES

Cadence aural training